Kajali Teej

Kajali Teej 2017 Date

Thursday 10 August 2017

Kajali Teej (कजली तीज) is the ‘Badi Teej’ (बड़ी तीज) celebrated about 15 days after the ‘Chhoti Teej’ or the Hariyali Teej Festival and 2-3 days after Raksha Bandhan festival. Badi Teej is also known as Sattu Teej, Satudi Teej and Kajari Teej. While Chhoti Teej is the festival dedicated to girls- especially daughters, Badi Teej is dedicated to the daughters-in-law. The married daughters who go to their parents’ house on Chhoti Teej come back to their husband’s house before Badi Teej. Both the Teej festivals, however, are women oriented and are celebrated with much zeal and fanfare by women for well being and long life of their husbands. In fact, there is another, the third Teej festival- Hartalika Teej- which is dedicated to unmarried girls when they fast to get good husbands.

Kajali Teej Date 2017

Kajali Teej falls on the third day of Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight of lunar month after which comes new moon day) in the month of Bhadrapada or Bhado (July-August). This year, Kajali Teej will be celebrated on 10 August 2017. The dates of all the three Teej festivals in the year 2017 are as follows:

Kajari Teej Celebration

Badi Teej is celebrated by women with much excitement and by observing the Kajali fast. It is the festival of married women but in some communities unmarried girls also fast and participate in the celebrations of Kajari Teej. It is said that once observed, the Kajali Teej fast has to be observed for whole life or at least for 16 years. Where the unmarried girls are allowed to fast, they can begin fasting before four years of marriageable age. Badi Teej is one of the major festivals of Maheshwari community mostly found in Rajasthan though some other communities too celebrate Kajali Teej in their own ways.

‘Badi Teej ka Sinjara’ (बड़ी तीज का सिंजारा) is celebrated on the eve of Kajari Teej- the second day of the Krishna Paksh in the Bhadon month. Married daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law and their daughters, all married women in extended family are invited for the function. During Sijara, girls and ladies dress up in bright colored dresses and jewelry, decorate their palms with mehndi or henna, eat special Teej sweets like ghewar and sattu and go around streets in procession like gathering while singing and dancing with joy. Sattu, a special sweet recipe of chana dal, made on Teej has quite a significance in the celebrations and rituals on Teej. Married daughters are gifted with sattu along with saree, blouse, clothes for the children and money. Satudi Teej has got the name from this dish ‘Sattu’ only.

Kajali Teej Fast and Rituals

On the day of Kajli Teej, women who fast for the whole day eat food early in the morning, before sunrise. After that, they fast for the whole day. In the evening, all women get ready by wearing their best dresses and jewelry with henna pecked hands and feet. At the time of sun set, all the women of the family and neighbourhood get together and perform puja (worship) and hear ‘Badi Teej katha’ or the story of Badi Teej. Puja is offered to ‘Neem Mata’ (नीम माता- neem branch revered as Goddess Neem) in traditional way by offering haldi (turmeric), kumkum (vermilion), mehandi (henna), chawal (rice), kajal (kohl), satu (sattu sweet), and fruits. A milk-water mixture is prepared in a parath (flat plate like vessel with raised corners) in which fruits and other things are placed. After worship, all the women see the fruits in this water-milk mix. They then worship moon and have sattu to break their fast. In some co they eat food mmunities, women are allowed to eat food after worshipping while in many others, fasting women only eat sathu and fruits.

Kajali Teej of Bundi Rajasthan

Teej is a major festival of Rajasthan. Like the Teej procession of Jaipur held on Chhoti Teej is famous worldwide, the Kajali Teej of Bundi also genrates equal excitement among local and foreign tourists. Bundi is situated about 40 kms from the city of Kota in Rajasthan. On the day of Badi Teej, a grand procession of ‘Teej Mata’ is organized here which is witnessed by many tourists who come specially to see it from faraway destinations. The procession moves from the picturesque Naval Sagar in Bundi and heads towards Azad Park. Bedecked elephants, camels, performing artists including musicians, folk dancers and other artists go along with the procession. The stunning performances by artists and cultural art performers is a scene to behold. Special Teej fairs are also organized here whose main attractions are again the breath holding performances by artists, swings and the special sweetmeats some of which can be found only on the occasion of Teej.

Other than Bundi in Rajasthan, Kajari Teej is also celebrated in other parts of North and Central India with great excitement and joy. Women in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (particularly in Varanasi and Mirzapur) celebrate kajli Teej with enthusiasm.